Kerala Tourism Watch has endorsed the Call for Action on Mega Resorts issued by the Global Tourism Interventions Forum.
For further details and to endorse this campaign, write to:

EQUATIONS, #415, 2nd C-cross, 4th main, OMBR Layout, Banaswadi
Bangalore 560043, India (Telephone: +91-80-25457607/25457659
Fax: +91-80-25457665)E-mail: campaigns@equitabletourism.org
URL: www.equitabletourism.org Or tourism investigation & monitoring team (tim-team), P.O. Box 51 Chorakhebua, Bangkok 10230, Thailand, Email: timteam02@yahoo.com, Webpage: http://www.twnside.org.sg/tour.htm

Equations, March 2009

10 March 2009
Bangalore, India – A ground-breaking study focusing on male children in prostitution in three of India’s major pilgrimage centres – Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh, Puri in Orissa and Guruvayoor in Kerala – has found that the sexual exploitation of male children in these tourism hotspots is pervasive and reportedly on the rise.

Thiruvananthapuram, 06/03/02009: The Kerala Swathanthra Matsya Thozhilali Federation (KSMTF), Kerala Tourism Watch,Kerala United Fisheries Forum,Alleppy, KABANI – the other direction in joint press release demands a transparent, democratic and participatory public hearing on the artificial reef project, Kovalam.

By T.G. Jacob

Irrational and illegal construction activities and mindless growth of the tourism sector have become an unsustainable burden on the towns. The tourism sector is pointing the accusing finger at the public bodies for not taking appropriate and timely action to maintain and develop the infrastructure facilities, while they themselves are largely responsible for the chaos that has come into being. Corruption is common but it is more common and intense in tourist enclaves because an important hallmark of any tourism dependent area is parasitism and the lure of easy money. Nilgiris, like Kovalam in Kerala, is a clear illustration of a tourism dependent economy and society bursting at the seams. T G Jacob, the author of the noted work "Tales of Tourism from Kovalam" takes a close look at the crisis in Nilgiris biosphere in the Western Ghats, India.

World Social Forum, Belém do Pará – Brazil, 28 January to 1 February 2009

We, participants of the Global Tourism Interventions Forum, which took place between 28 January and 1 February during the World Social Forum in Belém of Pará, Brazil, Pan-Amazon region, members of organizations of countries of Latin America, North America, Asia, Africa and Europe, affirm that another tourism is possible and urgent!

by Shibu K. Nair and C.Jayakumar
December 2008

This hand book is being published to help NGOs and Local Governments to assist communities to manage discards in the ETP sites. The hand book will also help develop a sustainable plan in these sites to deal with waste so that it will not distract visitors or deny them the special experiences of the unique sites in rural India.

Daily wage workers in the Aravana Plant in the Sabarimala Pilgrim tourist center in Kerala have struck work demanding wage increase as per the new wage levels fixed by Travancore Devasom Board, Kerala. The Kerala government has taken a confrontationist stand regarding the strike.

The London based Tourism Concern asks supporters “to lobby the Government of Kerala of the diversion of tsunami rehabilitation meant for rebuilding the lives and livelihoods of tsunami-affected communities in Kerala, India, to develop tourism”. Read the briefing document from Tourism Concern Riding the wave: Tsunami rehabilitation funds diverted for tourism and see the campaign call to send fax messages to the Chief Minister for Kerala and the Minister for Tourism expressing concern over the diversion of tsunami rehabilitation funds for the development of tourism.

Kerala Tourism Watch declares its moral and political solidarity to the striking workers of the Houseboat Industry in Kerala. Workers have launched an indefinite strike demanding better wages. Kerala’s tourism industry which often talks about responsible tourism stands thoroughly exposed in the wake of the strike. The houseboat industry has grown disproportionate to the carrying capacity of Kerala backwaters and it provides direct employment to nearly 2000 workers staffed by over 600 houseboats